CLEVELAND, Ohio — Putting the leg in legacy.
From an eBay listing to a lasting impact in Cleveland.
Brian Jones, the man who brought the Christmas Story House back to life, is stepping away from a passion project that spans nearly two decades.
Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank caught up with Jones on "good old Cleveland Street" as this new chapter for the iconic house begins.
Last November, when the for-sale sign went up in front of 3159 West 11th Street in Cleveland it sent shockwaves through the community, especially for die-hard fans of 'A Christmas Story.’
But for Jones, there was a sense of peace. You could say he felt a little like Flick, stuck. He knew it was time.
"I've actually been thinking about it for a while. I can tell I don't have as much passion for it as I did when I first started out, like oh, it's all new," said Jones.
While on the market, there were several serious offers for the house, some even included those closely connected to the film.
Jones said there was truth to the fact that some of the cast members were interested in purchasing it.
"Yes, there is,” said Jones.
However, he is not naming names.
“You can do the math on that," said Jones.
In the end, none of the deals felt right.
"It just wasn't in my gut that I felt that things were going to as, as they should," said Jones.
So, Jones came up with a Plan B for the major award that was up for grabs.
He offered a stake in the business to his longtime employee Joshua Dickerson.
"Things just work out for a reason and so that's what I went with, you know, and I'm like, let's sell Josh a piece of it and let him take it over and run things," said Jones.
Jones said he wanted to walk away knowing the business he built from the ground up would be cared for, that all the glue wouldn't be used up on purpose, and unlike the Old Man’s leg lamp, would be around long after he's gone.
"I own the Christmas Story House, but I've never really quite considered it like mine. It's not going to be mine forever. It's going to be here long after you know I've been kind of the steward of it for a while," said Jones.
Not only did Jones transform one of the most iconic homes he bought off E-bay, sight unseen, for years, but the Christmas Story Run raised money to help nearby property owners rehabilitate their homes.
"Life's a team sport. So, you know, I figured you know that would help out and make you know the neighborhood better and everybody, in the end, everybody wins essentially," said Jones.
Since 2006, Jones has had a front-row seat to witness how the magic of a movie that made its debut 40 years ago still creates lasting memories for tens of thousands of people.
"Now you can actually come in the house, go under the sink, go upstairs, see the boy's room, the leg lamp's out front," said Jones.
After spending countless hours in the Parker family home, we needed to know what part of the house was Jones’s favorite.
"I think it's the kitchen. I think my favorite piece of the house, and I didn't think about it, it's completely obvious, everybody wants to crawl under the sink like Randy," said Jones.
Jones, who is not from Cleveland, quickly learned there was something special about the city that embraced this Christmas classic from day one.
"Everybody was really nice and friendly when I first got here. I was kind of surprised," said Jones.
As he prepares to fade into the Florida sunset, that is one of the things Jones said he will leave with – the kindness and strengthening pride of Clevelanders.
"Here's probably my favorite thing though, people when I first got here in 2004, people were like oh, we're Cleveland, we suck. I remember people used to say that, like who says that about their town? You don't hear that anymore. Cleveland's awesome. It's had a nice renaissance over the last 20-years, it's been amazing,” said Jones.
